Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

At the same time that this Labor government wants to bring in 1.5 million migrants we're seeing savage cuts to infrastructure projects throughout the eastern suburbs. So for anybody who's dealing with traffic bottlenecks and issues with parking stations, right now, it'll be a whole lot worse when Labor implement their 1.5 million 'Big Australia' policy. In addition to that, Labor is now cutting or threatening to cut a range of projects in my electorate of Deakin.

The Labor Party is threatening to abolish, to cancel, a $30-million project to improve car parking at Ringwood station. Ringwood station is one of the most important transport hubs in the eastern suburbs, where you can't get a car park after 7 o'clock in the morning. We now have the Labor Party threatening to cancel the project funded by the former coalition government. This is a project where the local Maroondah City Council has done a great job in pulling together a wonderful plan for the precinct, to ensure that people can get parking when they arrive at their station. But, no, the Labor Party is threatening to cancel that.

This is in addition to the Labor Party threatening to cancel a nearly $50 million upgrade to Canterbury Road, to add both inbound and outbound lanes. Everybody who lives in the vicinity of Canterbury Road—in Bayswater North, Kilsyth South and Croydon South—knows the traffic congestion on Canterbury Road just gets worse, and now Labor is threatening to cancel that project.

In addition they're threatening to cancel the Tortice Drive and Warrandyte Road intersection upgrade. It is a very small upgrade, but it's important for safety. People can't do a right-hand turn out of Tortice Drive in the morning without fear of an accident. It's dangerous for pedestrians. The Labor Party is threatening to cancel that project.

This is, sadly, in addition to the project that we know has been cancelled by the Labor government. One of the first things they did when they were elected was cancel the $50 million upgrade to Dorset Road in Croydon. Everybody who travels along Dorset Road knows that it is becoming busier and busier and is in desperate need of that upgrade.

The reality is that Daniel Andrews dictates to this Labor government where they spend their infrastructure dollars in Victoria. He gets his pet projects funded and everybody in the eastern suburbs is required to suffer with worse congestion and worse access to public transport. It's a disgrace that the Prime Minister and this Labor government are dancing to the tune of Daniel Andrews.